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Complaint 30 of 36 in "Claim Denied or Delayed"

Insurance Carrier: The Hartford
State: Illinois

Consumer Complaint:

I was hit by a woman 2 weeks ago (Oct. 17, 2008). The lady who hit me has The Hartford Ins. She was issued a ticket for failure to reduce speed, and refused to blow the breathalyzer. I have been without a car, and haven't seen a doctor. They haven't given approval to start working on my car due to gathering information from witnesses. Is this normal practice?

Insurance Expert Answer:

Separate out the property damage (to your car) and the potentially much larger personal injury claim. If you have collision coverage, let your carrier deal with it. Sure there is a deductible, but your carrier will go after the other driver for property damage and refund the deductible in full or large part. (Sure, insurance companies want to hear from their insured before they pay a 3rd party, so her carrier waits as it was not there to view the accident happen -- and 2 weeks is not that unreasonable. In theory they need not pay until you sue her and win.)

You didn't need anyone's permission to SEE A DOCTOR if there is any injury; your health insurance would cover it for now, and if you were driving a car the med pay provisions in YOUR auto insurance would also cover it. Now, 2 weeks later, unless there is something clearly attributable to the accident, getting paid for a doctor's visit is tougher. BUT if there was any personal injury, scar, ongoing loss of function, loss of income due to injury, etc. SEE A LAWYER. Our affiliate www.AttorneyPages.com is a place to start.